Kate Elliott

[Alia]

Okay Gollum, I got it. They call me a Goddess at the Crown of Stars discussion board, oh wait... That was a slip... they say 'OH GOD, not another post' or 'she's a pain in the ass!', or 'what a irritating scatterbrained idiot'. Yeah, I know what they groan about me over there... lol
I don't care... I speak what's on my mind and most of the time regret it. It's fun to stir the pot up over there. I sure hope your not Mac! lol
I'm really going to hate life when the last two books come out and I'm dead wrong with all of my predictions. Of course, I won't like it too much if I was right.

Andyhug, if you like battles, war, intrigue and fantasy you'll like the books. Kelpie describes Kate's books really good. I'm bias, so I would HIGHLY recommend you read them.

Alia

 

[GOLLUM]

Hi again Alia!

I'm not an activre memebr of Kate's discussion group just one of those lurkers..

Andyhug,

Like the others have said if you enjoy EPIC storylinde in a high fantasy setting you'll enjoy this. I'd venture to say that her writing style reminds me a little of Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn and his current Shadowmarch book. The prose is quite nice and the characters engaging, which is one of the main things I judge a sereis on. Her wordlbuilding and ideas are not bad either.

I appear to like/dislike similar sereis to you, so have you checked out Steven Erikson's Malazan series yet? The'ye the best fantasy series I've read in 25 years, George RR Martin sitting at No 2 on my all time hit parade. The magic concepts are pretty complex and amazing for me and the storyline and worldbuilding is opeerlees IMHO other thasn Tolkien himself. Has been compared to Homer of ancient times and EPIC in the truest sense! Also his plot twists cannot even begin to be guessed at, unlike a number of fantasy authors out there. Girtty with plenty of "grey" characters along the lines of George RR Martin, a millitary fantasy but a lot more than just that! Stephen Donaldson complains because Erikson doesn't write the books fast enough for him to consume and calls him a great writer! I concur.

Bye for now...

 

[Andyhug]

Thanks for the input Kelpie yes it does help =) Alia I like all of those but only if written by someone who I enjoy reading ^_- Gollum, Epic scope or a short tale, either one does me fine. I read the first Malazan book and it was excellent! There is just one thing that niggled me though which stopped me reading the second one (Only for the time being though). It is the whole "most powerful beings alive" usually preceded by "one of the most" (Obviously those arent the exact words). That is one of the things I didnt like about Raymond E Feist, for some reason it just annoys me. It is one of the thing's I like about the Thomas Covenant series I think, many of the characters weild great powers but it is never discussed in such blunt terms as whom is more powerful than whom, as if we need to be in awe of it (It reminds me of Dragonball Z and their "power levels" If you have ever heard of it). Please let me know that I am making sense? 0.o Anyway thanks for the input I may check them out!

 

[GOLLUM]

Andyhug,

I know what you mean BUT the whole God thing is only one major theme in the overall storyline, there are others. The magic ideas as the books progress are truly amazing and the world building is really only enhanced or built upon with each book!

Dont' forget Book 1 is the weakest. From Book 2 onwards the writing and world buidling goes up a notch or three and never comes down. Give Book 2 a go, great storytelling!

I'm a big Stepehn Donaldson fan. Enjoying Runes Of The Earth but it takes you the first 100 pages or so until we retrurn to The Land.

All for now.

 

[Amber]

Hm. Actually being the strange person I am, I have read only one book by her- a collaboration with Jennifer Roberston/ Melanie Rawn, called the Golden Key which was most impressive indeed. Anyone else a fan?

Btw I'm almost sure it was Kate Elliot so please don't kill me if it wasn't lol.

 

[GOLLUM]

No you're defintely right about Kate Elliott as a thiord author of The Golden Key.

UM.. I haven't actually read this in full yet so can someone remind me what it's about please *Shame Shame*..

 

[Alia]

Here's a brief summary from the back of the book:
"In the duchy of Tira Virte fine art is prized above all things, both for its beauty and as a binding legal record of everthing from marriages and births to treaties and inheritances. And although the Grand Duke is aware that there is more to the paintings of certain limners than meets the eye, not even he knows just how extraordinary the art of the Grijalva family truly is. For certain males of their bloodline are born with a frightening, magical talent- the ability to manipulate time and reality within their paintings, a Gift which enables them to alter events and influence people in the real world."
I did not like the first part of the book, the last 2/3 of it was wonderful. I think each writer, Jennifer Robertson, Kate Elliott and Melanie Rawn each wrote a 1/3. The reason why I didn't like the first 1/3 was because it repeated it self over and over and the repetition was annoying. It's my personal view and once I was done with the first third I was able to enjoy the rest of the book.
Alia

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I wasn't so fond of the middle third. Anyway, I happen to know that Kate Elliott wrote the last section.

 

[Alia]

Really, I didn't know that Kelpie, thanks for sharing. I thought, and I was guessing, that she wrote the middle section. Makes me wonder who wrote the first and second then.
Anyways...
I was just over on the Kate Elliott website. Book release dates are available for In the Ruins, Sept 2005 and June 28, 2005 Barnes and Noble and they have a picture of the cover. Also you can preorder the book there too.
Kate also left a post that she would be at the AutumnCon 2005 during Oct 28-30 this year. Here's the URL www.autumncon.org Check out her post. Utah is a 12 hour drive from here, I wonder...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I know the third section is by Kate Elliott, and I'm guessing that the second section is Melanie Rawn, based on internal evidence. That would leave Jennifer Roberson for part one.

I love the overall concept for the book, and the setting. It's nice when someone is able to shake off the standard Medieval northwestern European influences, and get away with it.

 

[GOLLUM]

Really, I didn't know that Kelpie, thanks for sharing. I thought, and I was guessing, that she wrote the middle section. Makes me wonder who wrote the first and second then.
Anyways...
I was just over on the Kate Elliott website. Book release dates are available for In the Ruins, Sept 2005 and June 28, 2005 Barnes and Noble and they have a picture of the cover. Also you can preorder the book there too.
Kate also left a post that she would be at the AutumnCon 2005 during Oct 28-30 this year. Here's the URL www.autumncon.org Check out her post. Utah is a 12 hour drive from here, I wonder...

Hey Alia any chance of getting me plane ticket? HE HE..

BTW what's the story with the June and Sep 2005 dates, we talking different publishers, HC vs PB or what exactly?? Please help this lost and confused sole!!

 

[Alia]

Let's see... A plane ticket from Australia to SLC, Utah... Can you swim Gollum? Ha ha!

There are two publishers for different areas, UK - orbit books and everyone else - Daw books. I think Australia has both, I'm not sure. But the release dates I gave are for Hardcover books, not Paperback.
There are two different covers styles for Orbit and Daw too. I actually like the covers of the UK version better.
This is what it says in my UK version of King's Dragon:
Orbit A Divsion of Little, Brown and Company (UK) Brettenham House Lancaster Place London WC2E 7EN
In King's Dragon America Version it says: DAW Books are distributed by Pengiun USA

 

[Alia]

Have to make a correction on an earlier post. Kate Elliott wrote on her website that the publication date for Book #6 of the Crown of Stars Series, In the Ruins is to be release not Jun 28 as posted on Barnes and Noble web site, but Aug 5, 2005.
Two months longer...

 

[GOLLUM]

Thanks Alia and yes I can swim, so like does that mean you're getting me a first class ticket to the US via submarine? *asks hopefully*

Yes, we get both Orbit and Daw BUT generally OZ will get the orbit version first or in greater numbers. Basically if a book comes out in the UK under say Orbit then we get it about a month or so later. If a book comes out in the US and nothing is scheduled for a while to appear in the UK, then we can wait anywhere from 3 -12 months sometimes before we get that book, although there's always exceptions

So like now can you see why I need that ticket to the US?

Bye I'm going to sleep..

OH, just watched the Pope's funeral live from Rome (Friday evening our time), quite a moving occasion really.

 

[Alia]

So like now can you see why I need that ticket to the US?

Or... ask an American friend to ship the book out to you. But then, it's nothing compared to going to the conference. I wonder if there is going to a book signing? Probably.

 

[Amber]

Mmmm book signings... so pretty. I got a book signed by Robin Hobb! ^^

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

My copy of The Golden Key, I find, was autographed by all three authors. I remember seeing each of the three authors at conventions and booksignings over the years, by why didn't I remember all three of them in the same place at the same time?

I discovered this only because talking about the book and who wrote what has inspired me to reread.

Thanks for the tip about where to see the bookcover, Alia. Although I don't like this one nearly as much as the other DAW covers.

 

[Alia]

Although I don't like this one nearly as much as the other DAW covers.

I agree with you Kelpie.
Have you read the Jaran series?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I like the Jaran books a lot, but I like the Crown of Stars series even more. Partly because I generally do like fantasy better than science fiction, but also, I think, because she has grown as a writer.

 

[Alia]

Hey Alia any chance of getting me plane ticket? HE HE..

I couldn't resist looking up the airfare for you Gollum (while I was looking up prices for myself ). I think I will see how much it is for that submarine... haha - although, I think you might find yourself swimming.